Peterborough: Proposal to restock River Nene where 100,000 fish died

More than 100,000 dead fish were spotted on the River Nene in Peterborough

A river which became polluted and caused the death of more than 100,000 fish could be restocked with wildlife, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

Officers from the agency have been investigating the source of the substance that contaminated the River Nene at Ferry Meadows in Peterborough.

Plans were also being drawn up looking at restocking parts of the river.

The agency said fish behaviour had since returned to normal following the incident on 12 December.

"The pollutant caused significant damage as it flowed through the watercourse before reaching the river," an EA spokesperson said.

"However, the impact seems to have reduced as we are now observing normal fish behaviour.

"We are continuously monitoring the situation on-site and plans are underway for fish population surveys to determine the need to potentially restock parts of the river."

The Environment Agency said fish appeared to be behaving in a normal manner after more than 100,000 were killed in December

Chris Park, of the Nene Park Trust which runs Ferry Meadows, said the sight of the washed-up bodies on that day was "sickening".

The trust feared the death of the fish could have a "devastating impact on future breeding".

Initial tests found the incident was not caused by sewage pollution but further tests have been ongoing.

The agency said it had fast-tracked samples of the river amid efforts to establish the cause.